Yesterday, I joined with my Senate Republican colleagues to send a letter urging the Governor to revise his Restore Illinois Plan and allow Illinois to move forward into Phase 4.

In our letter, we asked that the Governor revise his reopening plan and adopt a 14-day timeline rather than the current, arbitrary 28-day timeline already in place. We are urging the Governor to allow Illinois to move into Phase 4 on Friday, June 12. Under the current reopening plan, the earliest Illinois would be permitted from moving into Phase 4 is June 26.

The letter notes that Illinois is still operating under rigid restrictions despite surrounding states loosening their regulations. Wisconsin has been open for weeks. Meanwhile, Michigan, who had some of the most rigid restrictions in place during the early stages of the public health crisis, is now allowing in-person restaurant dining.

Currently our business community is just beginning to take steps toward recovering from a health pandemic that devastated our state. Every day they are prevented from operating their establishments or returning to normalcy is another day they lose revenue and makes it harder for them to recover.

The data from the Illinois Department of Public Health shows that the state is ready to safely move into Phase 4. Illinois can and should be allowed to move forward.
You can read the full letter Senate Republicans sent to the Governor asking him to reconsider his current reopening timeline below.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to my district office at 217-235-6033 or e-mail me at [email protected]. I am here to represent you.

Sincerely,

Dale Righter
State Senator for the 55th District